Would You Like To Land Here?
#1
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Would You Like To Land Here?
A good friend just sent me these pictures of the old Hong Kong airport. I thought others might like to see them as well. This will probably be moved, but that's ok. I just wanted to put them out there to see. These landings look like I feel when I am trying to hit the asphalt at the field.
#3
RE: Would You Like To Land Here?
Puts a whole new meaning to "hold short on final".
Funny that the pilots didn't need carrier quals and a seaplane rating to land there as well.
Funny that the pilots didn't need carrier quals and a seaplane rating to land there as well.
#6
Thread Starter
RE: Would You Like To Land Here?
LOL...I can hear it now: "Uh...you might want to check that right engine pod. I think I might have scratched it on landing."..."Oh and while your at it, I could use a new pair of uniform pants."
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RE: Would You Like To Land Here?
ORIGINAL: scottrc
Puts a whole new meaning to "hold short on final".
Funny that the pilots didn't need carrier quals and a seaplane rating to land there as well.
Puts a whole new meaning to "hold short on final".
Funny that the pilots didn't need carrier quals and a seaplane rating to land there as well.
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RE: Would You Like To Land Here?
I flew into Kai Tak a number of time a few years ago as a passenger on Canadian Airlines DC10s. The exciting part was when you landed from the Kowloon direction.
If you were sitting on the starboard side of the aircraft you noticed two things:-
You were looking UP at peoples washing hanging out of the high rises
The runway could be seen well to starboard of the track the plane was flying
The plane then banked sharply around the high rises to get lined up on the runway. When taking off from Kai Tak towards Kowloon it seemed that the DC10s couldn't get enough fuel on board, as a take off this way usually meant an unscheduled stop in Taipei for fuel.
The new airport is much less exciting.
Terry
If you were sitting on the starboard side of the aircraft you noticed two things:-
You were looking UP at peoples washing hanging out of the high rises
The runway could be seen well to starboard of the track the plane was flying
The plane then banked sharply around the high rises to get lined up on the runway. When taking off from Kai Tak towards Kowloon it seemed that the DC10s couldn't get enough fuel on board, as a take off this way usually meant an unscheduled stop in Taipei for fuel.
The new airport is much less exciting.
Terry
#10
Thread Starter
RE: Would You Like To Land Here?
Looking back at the pictures I was sent, I missed a couple. Looks like in one, the pilot missed those wires across the runway that smokingcrater is referring to.
#12
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RE: Would You Like To Land Here?
Ok, I got curious about these landing pictures so I went hunting some videos of these landing. here are a few that I found.
[link]http://www.aviationexplorer.com/alitalia_kai_tak.wmv[/link]
[link]http://www.aviationexplorer.com/Kai_Tak_Boeing_747_Landing.wmv[/link]
[link]http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photogallery/Videos/Boeing%20747%20Extreme%20Landing.mpg[/link]
[link]http://hardyheinlin.de/avi/B747_VHHH_Ldg.avi[/link]
Ken
[link]http://www.aviationexplorer.com/alitalia_kai_tak.wmv[/link]
[link]http://www.aviationexplorer.com/Kai_Tak_Boeing_747_Landing.wmv[/link]
[link]http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photogallery/Videos/Boeing%20747%20Extreme%20Landing.mpg[/link]
[link]http://hardyheinlin.de/avi/B747_VHHH_Ldg.avi[/link]
Ken
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RE: Would You Like To Land Here?
I have been to HK many times, there were more than few hairy landings. On one we damaged the main trucks when we had to slam on the brakes "hard as they went" to keep the bird from going into to water. When there is wind it is a real roller coaster ride. I have a video (way too big to email) of a very strong cross-wind landing that would definitley not have wanted to be on that flight. It was a 747 and you can literally see the wings flexing 20-30 feet in each direction and the plane was crabbing at a 45* angle to the runway... incredible stuff!
**EDIT**
Actually - its #3 in the vids above, but I have a better resolution / longer version of it that shows the wings bouncing after landing. That was some incredible piloting on that plane .. that is for sure. Most likely at the point just before touchdown the two right hand engines were engaged trying to keep the yaw rate down. Peope inside the plane probably got to hear screaming engines at the same time were probably looking at the runway behind them and Hong Kong harbor in front of them!
We call those flights "pants fillers" because usually at least one passenger soils themselves!
DP
PS: Hong Kong is one of the coolest places on the planet! Very rooted in Asian culture, but English speaking so its "user friendly"...
**EDIT**
Actually - its #3 in the vids above, but I have a better resolution / longer version of it that shows the wings bouncing after landing. That was some incredible piloting on that plane .. that is for sure. Most likely at the point just before touchdown the two right hand engines were engaged trying to keep the yaw rate down. Peope inside the plane probably got to hear screaming engines at the same time were probably looking at the runway behind them and Hong Kong harbor in front of them!
We call those flights "pants fillers" because usually at least one passenger soils themselves!
DP
PS: Hong Kong is one of the coolest places on the planet! Very rooted in Asian culture, but English speaking so its "user friendly"...
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RE: Would You Like To Land Here?
ORIGINAL: Joe Ortiz
[X(]Holy S***[X(], I would never fly into that airport, scratch Hong Kong off the "Places to see list"
[X(]Holy S***[X(], I would never fly into that airport, scratch Hong Kong off the "Places to see list"
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RE: Would You Like To Land Here?
The scary thing is that people grew up watching that stuff, and said to themselves, I want to do that!!!!!!!!
Im currently doing flying training with a few guys from hong kong, and I seem to see frequent recreations of those aircraft attitudes!!!!
Not that its always these guys at the controls in these attitudes, but more often than not.
Maybe they get bored!!!!!!!!!
I have utmost respect for the flying instructors, they have more guts than me.
This is not strictly PC, but its not meant as a serious dig, just a bit of fun to go along with the thread.
Im currently doing flying training with a few guys from hong kong, and I seem to see frequent recreations of those aircraft attitudes!!!!
Not that its always these guys at the controls in these attitudes, but more often than not.
Maybe they get bored!!!!!!!!!
I have utmost respect for the flying instructors, they have more guts than me.
This is not strictly PC, but its not meant as a serious dig, just a bit of fun to go along with the thread.
#21
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RE: Would You Like To Land Here?
I had the opportunity to fly a 777 sim and got the chance to do a few landings there. We did one with good visibility and one with low visibility. Both approaches were with ideal winds conditions, but I can imagine how exciting it would be with a strong crosswind. However, I'd rather fly into there than take a 737 into Dutch Harbor like Alaska Airlines does.
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RE: Would You Like To Land Here?
Memories! Memories ! From early 1946 to the end of 1949 (when the Communists took over mainland China), I was a Capt for CATC, a Chinese owned Airline managed and operated by an American-Born Chinese pilot who was the Executive Vice President of the company. CATC had daily scheduled flights in and out of HKG (Kai Tak Airport) from many cities in China, plus a twice daily shuttle to Canton.
Attached is a copy of the letdown procedure for HKG which shows the runways directions and lengths, and the surrounding peaks. Runway 13 has been the prefered runway for takeoff and landings but NEVER in the opposite direction, and runway 7-25 was hardly used by transports.
Imagine making your approach as close as possible to the 1591 ft mountain side, turn final less than a mile long, stay above the 400 ft hill at the approach end of rwy 13, go to power off and full flaps and SLIP if necessary for landing on rwy 13. (Imagine slipping a C-46 or C-47/DC-3! ). And that was routine operations.
CATC had a fleet of C-46s and C-47s, some of which were converted to plush passenger airliners. Attached is a passenger/cargo C-46.
I can say YES, I've landed there many times.
feihu
Attached is a copy of the letdown procedure for HKG which shows the runways directions and lengths, and the surrounding peaks. Runway 13 has been the prefered runway for takeoff and landings but NEVER in the opposite direction, and runway 7-25 was hardly used by transports.
Imagine making your approach as close as possible to the 1591 ft mountain side, turn final less than a mile long, stay above the 400 ft hill at the approach end of rwy 13, go to power off and full flaps and SLIP if necessary for landing on rwy 13. (Imagine slipping a C-46 or C-47/DC-3! ). And that was routine operations.
CATC had a fleet of C-46s and C-47s, some of which were converted to plush passenger airliners. Attached is a passenger/cargo C-46.
I can say YES, I've landed there many times.
feihu